1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an LED lighting device and more particularly to a device including plural LED arrays, for being driven by power supplied from a DC or AC power supply.
2. Background Art
LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are known to have a high degree of luminous efficiency. Various products using high-intensity white light-emitting diodes have been commercialized as energy-saving products, and have become cheaper. Currently, the use of LEDs for lighting devices is also being considered.
Patent Document 1 discloses an lighting device for which LEDs are used. The LED lighting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is driven by applying a DC voltage to the series-parallel connection of a plurality of LEDs. In this LED lighting device, each of these LEDs is connected in parallel to an element having a breakdown voltage such as a varistor or a Zener diode. Accordingly, even in the event that a disconnection failure occurs at any one of the LEDs and the LED is turned off, the other LEDs can be prevented from being turned off by transmitting a current to them using an alternative path. That is, the varistors or Zener diodes provide fault tolerance of the LEDs.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-134359